To the Depths of My Heart

Legends

Tom jumped from his place on the floor, his legs numb from their twisted position. As he took a step, he felt a pain shoot through them that took his breath away and he braced himself against the table, shoving it against the wall as he did. Sucking in a sharp breath, he rubbed his legs with his hands and tried to rub away the pins and needles feeling that inundated them. Once the sensation quelled, he rushed towards the door and threw it open, nearly ripping it from the braided reed hinges that held it to the hut.

He wasn't sure what to expect as he scanned the shoreline. Maybe Cora illuminated golden by the sunset with her arms outstretched to embrace him. He wasn't sure. Whatever it was, he saw nothing but the usual - the beach of pristine sand, the blue ocean waves, the endless horizon. He sighed and started to turn around, back towards the hut, towards his dreams. He thought maybe he could dream of Kama again and ask his old friend for more advice. 

A movement in his peripheral vision stopped Tom in his tracks and he turned his full attention to the lush greenery that flanked the hut. Leaves moved, but not the gentle sway they'd have if there was wind. They jerked with a sudden movement. The disturbance was too large for one of the animals that inhabited the island with him and it piqued his curiosity. He stepped carefully, picking each footing with a deliberate motion he hoped would not alert whatever or whoever lurked in the bushes to his advance.

As he approached, his progress was halted by the bright light of military-grade spotlights that blinded him. "What?" he asked in his confusion, directing the question to no one in particular.

"Sir," a commanding voice boomed, "Please place your hands on the back of your head and slowly lower yourself to your knees on the ground."

Tom cooperated. He could hear his heart thumping loudly in his chest and the rush of his pulse throbbing in his ears.  "I...I... I didn't do anything," he stuttered, knowing exactly why the beach was crawling with soldiers.

A hand grasped the nape of his neck and he felt hot, angry breath against his ear. "Where's the woman?" a voice growled. "We know she's with you."

"No, she's dead," Tom answered, choking back tears. "She drowned when we were lost at sea." He could hear the cacophony of voices and sounds as the others in the troupe tore apart the hut. He wanted to protest but he kept his mouth shut, afraid of what would happen if he did.

"Sarge, there's nothing," one of the soldiers shouted from the proximity of the hut. "I think he's telling the truth."

The hand left Tom's neck. "Stand up and at ease," the Sargent said, his tone less gruff than only moments before. "I'm sorry, but we've still got to take you in."

Tom nodded. "I know."

He was marched across the sand towards a waiting skiff that took him to a police boat docked in the small crescent of  a harbor. The end of a rope ladder dropped into the wood bottom at his feet and he followed the instruction to climb up it. It swayed as he got his footing on the bottom rung and then hoisted himself up, but the motion didn't unnerve him. What did unnerve him was the thought that he was now a criminal and that life as he knew it had ended abruptly. Of course, life as he knew it was over the moment he'd met Cora.

Once on the boat, he was hustled towards a small cabin. The Sargent was behind him, hand on Tom's back, pushing him with minimal force and steering him towards the darkness. "It's not comfortable," he said, "But the ride will be a short one."

"Where are you taking me?" Tom asked as he stepped through the door. His voice sounded small as it echoed in the room.

"Honolulu, Central Booking," came the answer, just as the door swung shut and left him in darkness.